Dingbat
The Dingbat is a character created for TerryToons. He's a small mythical bird with a crackpot personality, this insane fellow often finds himself battling predators, either to defend a helpless animal or just for plain ol' fun. Background Little is documented about Dingbat and his creation, however, his name is a slang word for a crazy or non-logical person. He first appeared in the 1948 cartoon "The Hard Boiled Egg", in which he tormented a nasty egg snatching Fox by the name of Sylvester, he was a real screwball character, completely crazy, and yet still very quick-witted, outsmarting Sylvester again and again with his bombastic antics and clever tricks, complete with a loud signature laugh. Well his debut didn't exactly get a standing ovation, the character seemed to have the potential to be a big star, and so they decided to go on making shorts with this Dingbat, for his second cartoon he was paired with studio stars Gandy Goose and Sourpuss for the 1949 cartoon "Dingbat Land" in which the duo attempt to capture him because of the rarity of his species, it goes about as well for them as one might expect, perhaps the reason for pairing Dingbat with them was so more people would see the short and be exposed to the character. Interestingly, outside of his trademark laugh, this was the only cartoon in which he spoke, talking so quickly that it'd be almost impossible to understand him. After this Dingbat appeared in just 3 more cartoons for the studio, two of which had him protecting an adorable prey form a mean spirited predator, portraying him as a comedic hero. His last short was 1950's "Sour Grapes" which had him messing with a narcissistic fox named Foxy, was also his last, wither this Fox was meant to be Dingbat's new main enemy, or simply a one-time foe is not known. Sadly the character has not made any appearances in anything after this point. However, his shorts were occasionally showcased on Mighty Mouse Playhouse. Filmography 1948 * The Hard Boiled Egg 1949 * Dingbat Land (With Gandy Goose and Sourpuss) 1950 * Foiling the Fox * All This and Rabbit Stew * Sour Grapes (With a character called Foxy Fox, instead of Sylvester) Legacy Dingbat is an incredibly obscure character who never truly got a chance to shine, perhaps the reason for the character's retirement was because of how the screwball trope had already been done time and time again, or maybe because of audiences finding him to be generic? Whatever the reason might be for his disappearance he is still a fondly remembered character who very well could have made it big if a little bit more luck was on his side. But as is folks enjoy him, even if he has Dingbats in the belfry. Notes * "Dingbat Land" is the only cartoon in which he doesn't wear a hat. * Some TV prints of his cartoons incorrectly state them to be one-shots Gallery dingbat.jpg|link=Dingbat is relaxes. ff23.jpg|Sylvester the Fox ff09.jpg|Dingbat with the arrow. Paul-terry-toons-dingbat-and-sylvester-the-fox-1-.jpg|Dingbat and Sylvester the Fox Category:Birds Category:Characters Category:Animals